Eddalands administratively designated by Nigeria formerly as Afikpo South and changed to Edda LGA as part of the 16 constitutional amendment acts signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on 17th March, 2023 covers an entire local government area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the most homogeneous LGA in Nigeria with people of one language, one culture and one tradition across the entire LGA.
Locations
Eddalands is composed of many autonomous communities and towns which include: Ebunwana Edda, Nguzu Edda, Ekoli Edda, Owutu Edda, Amangwu Edda, Oso Edda, Etiti Edda, Ogbu Edda etc. The local area headquarters Afikpo South, being the Nigerian government designated administrative name for Eddaland is at Nguzu.
The names of Eddish towns often have "Edda" at their endings as an addendum designating their membership of the Eddish cultural common wealth and community of shared values. Most of the autonomous communities of Eddalands had been existing as small, but very strong, city states with each having its own monarch before Nigeria was carved up by British colonialists. These communities made up of about 72 villages today had been functioning as a confederation of small city states bounded by common heritage until 1867. That was when British colonialists finally enveloped Eddalands into the Southern Protectorate, which even later became a now defunct country of Southern Nigeria. Southern Nigeria was amalgamated with Northern Nigeria, which was a different country, in 1914 to forge today's Nigeria. The old city states of Eddaland still exist with monarchs that have no administrative functions; but serve as social and cultural representatives of different Eddish communities that were once sovereign.
The designation of Afikpo South was given to Eddalands when it was separated from Afikpo Local Government Area in 1991 by the then Nigerian Federal Military Government. Successive legislators from the area had since fought to keep the name of their place, Eddalands, as the name of Local Government Area in Nigeria's constitution to better reflect their heritage.
Eddalands is bordered by Unwana to the east; Akaeze to the west, Amasiri to the north, Afikpo to the north-east, Ohafia to the south, Nkporo to the south west, and Erei to the south-east. It has an area of and a population of 157,072 at the 2006 census.
Culture
Due to a unique culture that values inclusiveness and integrity, Eddalands has a very serene atmosphere of calm and is so peaceful with so low level crime that even today, there are only few Nigeria police stations/posts in the entire area. Crime is rare Eddalands because of Eddish people generally respect integrity over wealth, and having a record of crime in a typical Eddish community is consider a permanent damage to reputation of the individual and their family. The pristine natural environment of undulating hills, springs and quiet small lakes and the calm and welcoming traditions of the Eddish people casts Eddalands as an ideal untouched rough diamond for development into a future world tourism destination.
Unlike the different tribal peoples of Nigeria that surround them, and the larger Igbo ethnic group, Eddics do not have the concept of being indigenous as a basis for membership of their cities, towns and villages. The more general concept in Eddalands is citizenship, which is about membership of a person regardless of places of ancestry, to their community of values and shared norms. Persons are not permanent members of a community in Eddalands are considered as guests, and are generally treated very hospitable. That makes them a culturally very advanced people. The Eddics also highly value idea of integrity very highly and loyalty.